1933 – 2012
AUBURN — Corinne “Coky” Wills, RN, 78, died Thursday, June 7, at The Hospice House of Androscoggin Home Care & Hospice surrounded by her family.
She was born in New Gloucester on Aug. 9, 1933, daughter of Millard F. and Della H. Marston.
Coky attended elementary school at Shaker Village and graduated from Edward Little High School in 1951. She graduated from Maine Medical Center School of Nursing in 1954.
She married Peter W .Wills on March 31, 1956. They lived in New Gloucester for 55 years. They raised 3 daughters. She served as school nurse for Gray-New Gloucester for 27 years. She created a dental program for the district which still exists today.
She was the Town Health Officer for 40 years. She was the Salvation Army Town Representative for over 30 years. Since the 1960s, in those capacities, she organized immunization clinics, rabies clinics, blood and glaucoma drives and found financial assistance for those in need.
Until her Parkinson’s made it impossible, she spent the months of November and December organizing dinners and holiday gifts for local families. She had been on the board of trustees of the Poland Community Health Center since 1959. She was a Jefferson Award recipient in 2002 for Health and Social Services.
Coky belonged to many organizations: Grange, Eastern Star, Gabbers Club, NG Congregational Church, Amvets Auxillary, Snowmobile Club, and Historical Society. She also taught Sunday school, was a Girl Scout leader, Junior Grange leader and chauffeur for her daughters and friends to all their events.
The words from a dear friend, Roy Lowe, said it all about Coky: “In New Gloucester, Coky’s number was the equivalent of 911.”
She is survived by her husband, Peter; daughters, Nona, Kris, and Lori and her husband, Kevyn Fowler; grandchildren, Duncan, Ethan, Aubrey, Mary, Alexander and Raphael; her brother, Ed Marston and his wife, Yvonne; brother-in-law, Neal Peaco; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
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